Pallet



United States Patent 3,212,462 PALLET Pierre Michel Pasquier, Sumner, Wash., assignor to Pasquier Panel Products, Sumner, Wash., a corporation of Washington Filed Feb. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 341,971 9 Claims. '(Cl. 108-51) This invention relates to a pallet for use with fork lift trucks. It pertains particularly to a wooden pallet which is dis-assemblable for renewing the deck margins as they become worn or shattered with use.

The service life of lift truck pallets made from plywood often is shortened because of mutilation of the deck margins through repeated application of the forks by means become damaged.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a lift truck pallet having a segmental flush deck which remains planar under all conditions of use and does not present to the superimposed load raised edges and cracks which are capable of tearing, puncturing, or pinching the load.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a segmental flush deck construction universally adaptable to all categories of pallets, whether they be two-way or four-way, reversible or non-reversible.

Generally stated, the pallet accomplishing the foregoing and other objectives comprises a deck and a plurality of vertically arranged terminal and central spacing supports underlying the deck at horizontally spaced intervals, defining fork lift entry openings. The deck is segmental, being formed in central and terminal segments. The terminal segments comprise expendable or wear resistant strips jointed to-the central segment in flush deck relation. Fastening means are provided for releasably fastening all of the deck segments to the supports. It therefore easily is possible to disassemble the pallet and replace the terminal segments whenever it becomes necessary to do so because of wear of the segments originally incorporated in the pallet. Also, it is possible in the first instance to make the central segment from relatively inexpensive stock plywood panels, these being pieced out to the required pallet deck dimension by the addition of the terminal strips.

Considering the foregoing in greater detail and with particular reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a foreshortened plan View, and FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation, of a non-reversible, two-way entry, fork lift truck pallet embodying the segmental flush deck assembly of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the manner of jointing the deck segments and of fastening them releasably to the underlying spacing supports;

FIG. 4 is a foreshortened plan view, and FIG. 5 is a view in end elevation, of a reversible, four-way entry pallet having on both sides segmental flush decks of the type described herein;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 and illustrating the means of fastenin together the components of the pallet of FIGS. 4 and 5, the deck segments being jointed together through a shiplap joint; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views similar to FIG. 6,

3,212,462 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 "ice but illustrating respectively the application of a splined joint and a tongue and groove joint in the deck construction of the herein described fork lift truck pallets.

The non-reversible, two-way entry, lift truck pallet of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 includes a segmental deck made up of a central segment 10 of substantial area, and narrow terminal segments 12, 14. These all are made of suitable structural material, as from heavy, exterior grade plywood.

The adjacent edges of the deck segments are jointed together as shown in FIG. 3, using a shiplap joint, the central segment overlappin th terminal segment. By this arrangement the terminal segment is held down at all times so that a projection or crack is not presented to the superimposed load.

Underlying the deck is a vertically arranged, central, spacing support 16 and a pair of vertically arranged, terminal, spacing supports 18, 19. These may comprise wooden stringers of appropriate thickness and height. They are arranged at horizontally spaced intervals which define fork lift entry openings on opposite sides of the pallet.

Releasable fastening means are provided for maintaining the segments of the deck in jointed relationship to each other, and for fastening them to the spacing supports. Thus the central segment 10 may be fastened to the underlying spacing supports through flush bolts 20. The terminal segments 12, 14 on the other hand may simply be nailed to the underlying supports, using nails 22.

A securely integrated pallet assembly thus is provided which nevertheless may be dis-assembled merely by releasing bolts 20 and prying out nails 22. Terminal segments 12, 14 then may be replaced with new segments and the pallet re-assembled.

Similar characteristics are demonstrated by the reversible, four-way entry, fork lift truck pallet of FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

In this embodiment of the invention, there is provided a wide central segment 30 and narrow terminal strip seg- .ments 32, 34. The central segment again is made from heavy gauge exterior grade .plywood. The terminal strip segments, however, are made of wear-resistant hardwood. The central and terminal segments are jointed to each other through shiplap joints, the central segment again overlying the terminal segments to maintain a flush deck during use of the pallet.

The upper and lower segmental deck assemblies are maintained in proper spaced relation by means of central and terminal spacing support blocks. The central blocks 36 may be round and made from laminated wood. The terminal blocks 38 underlie the joint between the central and terminal deck segments and are rectangular in configuration. Like blocks 36, they also may be made of laminated wood. Their spacing is such as to define fork lift entry openings on all four sides of the pallet, thus providing a four-way entry unit.

As in the previously described embodiment, the components of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-6, inclusive, are maintained in assembled relationship by releasable fastening means which preferably comprise flush bolts 40. These are so located that some of them penetrate the deck segments, inwardly from the margins, securing them to blocks 38. Others of them are arranged so that they penetrate the shiplap joints, contemporaneously securing both the central segments 30 and terminal segments 34 to blocks 38 (FIG. 6).

The form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 7 is similar except that there are provided central deck segments 42 which may be made of plywood, and terminal deck strip segments 44, which may be made of hardwood, these being interconnected through a splined joint including splines 46. In this embodiment, flush bolts 40 are so located that some of them bind the central deck segments to blocks 36, 38, while others of them bind the terminal deck segments thereto.

In the form of the inventionillustrated in FIG. 8, there are provided central deck segments 48, made of plywood, and terminal strip deck segments 50, made of durable hardwood. These are interconnected through tongue and groove joints. In this case, as in the embodiment of FIG. 7, some of bolts 40 secure the central deck segment to the block, while others secure the terminal deck segments thereto.

In all three forms of the invention, i.e. those illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the pallet assembly may be disassembled by removing the flush bolts and separating the jointed terminal segment strips from the central segments. Replacement strips then may be applied and the pallet reassembled in the indicated manner.

There thus is provided a pallet assembly which has one or two segmental flush decks provided with replaceable Wear strips along the working margins. These may be renewed from time to time as required. During use, the deck remains flush and free from projecting edges or cracks which might damage the load carried by the pallet. Furthermore, the construction universally is applicable to all types of pallets, whether they be reversible or nonreversible, double entry or four-way entry.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herein shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A pallet for use with work lift trucks, comprising:

(a) a deck having a central plane segment and terminal edge segments of wear resistant material abutting the corresponding edges of the central plane segment,

(b) the abutting edges of the central and terminal segments being jointed together in flush deck relation,

(c) a plurality of vertically arranged terminal and central spacing supports underlying the deck at horizontally spaced intervals, defining fork lift entry openings,

(d) the spacing supports spanning the abutting jointed edges of the central and terminal segments of the deck,

(e) first fastening means securing the central segment of the deck to the spacing supports, and

(f) second fastening means releasably securing the terminal segments of the deck to the spacing supports in said abutting, flush deck relation with the central segment, for removal and replacement of said terminal segments.

2. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the abutting edges of the central and terminal segments of the deck overlap each other.

3. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the abutting edges of the central and terminal segments of the deck are jointed together through shiplap joints.

4. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the abutting edges of the central and terminal segments of the deck are jointed together through tongue and groove joints.

5. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the abutting edges of the central and terminal segments of the deck are jointed together through splined joints.

6. The pallet of claim 1 wherein a deck is provided on one side only of the spacing supports, forming a nonreversible pallet.

7. The pallet of claim 1 wherein a deck is provided on both sides of the spacing supports, forming a reverisble pallet.

8. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the spacing supports comprise spaced, continuous, stringers of structural material.

9. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the spacing supports comprise spaced blocks of structural material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,026 4/49 Boone 108-57 2,503,022 4/50 Benoisti et a1. 10853 2,890,849 6/59 Fogarty et al l08-58 2,967,036 1/61 Phillips 108-57 3,122,108 2/64 Arthur 108-51 FOREIGN PATENTS 102,675 12/54 Austria.

898,125 6/62 Great Britain.

129,084 8/50 Sweden.

168,025 8/59 Sweden.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PALLET FOR USE WITH WORK LIFT TRUCKS, COMPRISING: (A) A DECK HAVING A CENTRAL PLANE SEGMENT AND TERMINAL EDGE SEGMENTS OF WEAR RESISTANT MATERIAL ABUTTING THE CORRESPONDING EDGES OF THE CENTRAL PLANE SEGMENT, (B) THE ABUTTING EDGES OF THE CENTRAL AND TERMINAL SEGMENTS BEING JOINTED TOGETHER IN FLUSH DECK RELATION, (C) A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY ARRANGED TERMINAL AND CENTRAL SPACING SUPPORTS, UNDERLYINGTHE DECK AT HORIZONTALLY SPACED INTERVALS, DEFINING FORK LIFT ENTRY OPENINGS, (D) THE SPACING SUPPORTS SPANNING THE ABUTTING JOINTED EDGES OF THE CENTRAL AND TERMINAL SEGMENTS OF THE DECK, (E) FIRST FASTENING MEANS SECURING THE CENTRAL SEGMENT OF THE DECK TO THE SPACING SUPPORTS, AND (F) SECOND FASTENING MEANS RELEASABLY SECURING THE TERMINAL SEGMENTS OF THE DECK TO THE SPACING SUPPORTS IN SAID ABUTTING, FLUSH DECK RELATION WITH THE CENTRAL SEGMENT, FOR REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF SAID TERMINAL SEGMENTS. 